There is no shortage of online learning platforms and they may be available in the form of tutorials, videos, step by step instructions, blogs etc. There are large collections of e-books available online on any topics as How To guides or centering on single small topics that guide people to learn new things. Sometimes you have to pay for these learning aids or at other times they are just free, and rely on user clicks to earn money. Most of the times they will give you a small experience for free and if you like it and want to continue further then you have to pay for it. However few platforms are there that take the user learning experience to a whole new level.
Online learning platforms: coursera
Coursera is one such site that gives and excellent opportunity to people all around the globe alike to learn from the top universities in a conducive and active learning environment. Once you visit the main page you surly cannot stop yourself from joining the website and starting to learn. Its interface is simple and motivational and the most convincing thing is that it offers you to join for free and learning from a huge list of categories.
On www.coursera.com courses on diverse topics are available and you can enroll in any course and start learning. The course materials include video lectures, slides, written materials, quizzes, assignments and many other additional resources. The courses are from top institutes from around the globe. Some of the universities that are offering their courses and specializations through coursera include John Hopkins University, University of Maryland, PennState, Rutgars, Duke, Stanford, University of Michigan and the list is endless.
The courses offered provide full learning experience to the students by giving them not only lectures but there are tests and assignments also that make the students challenge their learning. To pass the course you have to score well in the assignments and quizzes just like any university course. The better your scores are, the better grade you will earn.
While you can enroll in the course for free, if you want to earn a certificate you have to pay the course fee. This will make you eligible to get an official certificate from the university in which you are enrolled from the ease of learning from your home.
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Now you do not need to travel to different countries in search of better education and learning opportunities. Online learning platforms like coursera provide learners to educate themselves from anywhere in the world.
There is a huge catalog with vast range of top of the range courses. The courses are available under the umbrella of braches of learning like humanities, arts, literature, religion, technology, computer engineering, medicine, music etc. The topics that are very much in demand like Data Science, Web development, Data security, cryptography, food and nutrition and medicine all are available for users to learn from.
You can start a course free of cost, and if you decide after a few lectures that you do not like it you can remove yourself from it and enroll in some other course that you find interesting. Pay for degree only when you are sure that you want to pursue the course and it would help you in building your career or would improve your skills in the professional life.
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There are some individual standalone courses and also there are certain courses that are a part of a specialization that would help you in having a deeper learning of a topic. For example topics like data science or web development are long and wide so they are divided into a series of five to ten courses. This helps in keeping learners motivated because completing one course will make you want to learn more and enroll in the next course. These specializations usually end up in a capstone project. The capstone project will help in demonstrating what you have learnt practically by applying and using all the concepts you have acquired. It will make up a portfolio for yourself that you can show to employers and strengthen your career.
One very important thing to mention here is the high quality faculty that the learner get to learn from. This is one of those online learning platforms that provide users best teachers who are PHDs and college professors. They are so learned and have so much to offer to the users. To give the real class room experience elaborate discussion forums are available where users can post any queries or ask for any help if required. As students come from all over the globe one may learn about different technologies or opportunities available in different countries regarding a field.
The discussion forums are monitored by faculty and mentors that are ready to help the student who need help. They also provide links to useful webpages and downloadable helpful materials for the students.
The site makes choosing the right page so much easier. There is a comprehensive course page that has all the information about that particular course. It lists what are the perquisites of the course. If the course is beginners level and have no perquisites anyone can enroll in it. if there are some prerequisites of the course it is better to understand and learn the prerequisite courses first and then move on to higher courses. Usually the specializations all start with the beginner level courses and then move on to difficult and challenging levels.
Online learning platforms are fast becoming popular among the people because people can connect to them from anywhere and everywhere. There are other online learning platforms also and we would soon be covering about them also. In the meantime do check out the online learning opportunities available at coursera.
Do you use any online learning platforms? Let us know in the comment section below.
